WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble 2018: Who to Watch and Why

2018 has already proven to be a pivotal year in the life and career of frequent Muscle & Fitness cover star John Cena. His upcoming match against Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble comes hot on the heels of an embarrassing loss to the Undertaker at WrestleMania, and it will also mark John’s first appearance on WWE television since we all learned the news of his (real-life) split with Nikki Bella.

Cena’s star is certainly on the rise in Hollywood, where his latest film Blockers opened to critical and commercial success. A loss to Triple H, however, could result in a disappointing end to what has been an incredible career with World Wrestling Entertainment. John Cena knows more than anyone how much he needs this victory and will be determined to show “The Game” why, at his best, he simply can’t be seen.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque has spent the last several years transitioning from a full-time WWE Superstar to an integral part of the behind-the-scenes WWE machine. Whenever Triple H does find time to lace up his boots, though, fans are in for a treat. A win against John Cena at the Greatest Royal Rumble would go a long way to avenge the loss he and Stephanie McMahon suffered at the hands of Kurt Angle and the newly premiered “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania.

When WWE fans packed the Superdome in New Orleans for WrestleMania 34, they were confident Roman Reigns would dethrone WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. The only person unaware of the cut-and-dried outcome, apparently, was Lesnar himself. He came to win, and that’s exactly what he did. 

Now, fresh off of the announcement that “The Beast Incarnate” has signed a new contract with WWE, a rematch is set—and this one will be inside a steel cage. Roman Reigns has a reputation for beating the best, and the shocking loss at WrestleMania has affected him both physically and emotionally. Can he finally turn words into actions and beat the Beast for the belt, or will Lesnar continue his record-breaking run as WWE Universal Champion?

The “Big Dog” was left out in the cold at WrestleMania when what looked like a certain victory against Lesnar failed to materialise. Now he’s seriously humiliated, but he has a chance to put things right at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

In this rematch, both men will be locked inside a steel cage where the winner must either pin his opponent or climb the side of the cage and escape it completely. Brock Lesnar still looks unstoppable, but we wouldn’t want to be locked up with a caged “Big Dog” with everything to gain and very little to lose. Could the Roman Empire could be restored once more?

Rumours of the Undertaker’s demise back at WrestleMania 33 seem to have been greatly exaggerated. The phenom was back and apparently in tremendous physical shape while laying the smackdown on John Cena at this WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans.

The Undertaker will face Rusev in a Casket Match this Friday in Saudi Arabia, and we don’t envy the Bulgarian Brute one bit. ‘Taker is on a nightmarish mission to prove he can still dominate the WWE Universe. And when you look at how many careers he’s tombstoned, it’s hard to see how Rusev can survive his date with The Deadman at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

Since being drafted to SmackDown and starting his wildly popular “Rusev Day” movement, arenas all over the world are chanting for Rusev. But with the formidable Undertaker on his slate, even Rusev’s most dedicated fans should be fearful that the “Bulgarian Brute” could leave Saudi Arabia in a casket.

Talking to M&F shortly before WrestleMania, Rusev shared how he has gotten into the best shape of his life by counting macros. But as the Greatest Royal Rumble approaches, Rusev is surely counting down the days until his match with the most intimidating man in the history of sports entertainment. If he can beat The Deadman in their Casket Match, it will be the biggest win of his career, but that’s one heck of a mountain to climb.

Bobby Lashley is one of the most physically impressive WWE Superstars of all time. Before his recent return, “The Dominator” held titles in other pro wrestling promotions and gained an impressive 15 wins in MMA competition. The WWE universe is now collectively drooling over the potential must-see matches—Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman—that could await Lashley. 

And while a gold trophy is hard to top, the stakes are even higher for Lashley at the Royal Rumble. Beating 49 other WWE Superstars would instantly catapult the victor into the conversation for a future Championship match. We think Lashley is one to watch in the Greatest Royal Rumble.

“Y2J” has done it all in the WWE except win a Royal Rumble, so Jericho would love to add a victory in Saudi Arabia to his list of accomplishments. While surviving a match containing 49 other WWE Superstars might seem like an insurmountable task, don’t forget that Jericho once beat The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the same night to become the Undisputed Champion.

Jericho has a long history of shocking the world, especially when he looks like an underdog. And while it’s been some time since Jericho appeared on WWE, there’s no doubt that winning the Greatest Royal Rumble will remind the world that Jericho is one of the absolute greatest of all time.

WWE’s YouTube sensation and one-man-wrecking machine, Braun Strowman, showed his softer side at WrestleMania when he chose a 10-year-old kid as his Tag Team partner. While the unlikely pair won the Tag Team Titles that night, it quickly became apparent that other commitments (i.e., fourth grade) would force the team to disband—for now.

So while Strowman had to give back his Tag Team Championship belt, he now has his sights firmly set on the shiny gold trophy that will be presented to the winner of the Greatest Royal Rumble. Strowman was impressive during January’s Royal Rumble event and managed to eliminate seven of his opponents (no one has ever thrown out more), so he’s a de facto favorite to win the big prize this Friday in Saudi Arabia. We think 49 other wrestlers could be getting “These Hands!”